A new view on bike riding with tots.

The snow is melting and the sun is shining. All good signs that spring is on her way. Bike riding is a wonderful family activity in warm weather and we have found the perfect accessory. Never being a fan of the rear bike seats I decided to give the iBert safe-T-seat a try.

Love, love, love the iBert seat. The true genius of the seat is being able to install the seat high enough to avoid bow-legged pedaling. We have attached the seat to both my husband’s larger frame bike and to my own ladies sized frame. There is absolutely no bow-legged riding on my husband’s larger frame. There is a bit of bow-leggedness with my smaller frame though. iBert thought of this possibility too. The bottom of the seat is perfectly smooth so your legs can glide right along the seat. In a pinch my husband has even used the seat on my smaller frame and reported the ride was still comfortable.

There are a number of benefits to having a child riding in front of the bike. The center of gravity of the bike is almost unaffected meaning the bike doesn’t feel at all heavier to ride. The same can not be said of rear bike seats or bike trailers. Children prefer the ride in front as well. Thing 1 loves his bike seat. He can interact with us during a ride, his view is not blocked by anyone, and lastly its just plain fun (think Leo exclaiming ‘I am king of the world’ Titanic type fun).

Installation could not be easier. Two heavy duty bolts secure the stinger to the bike frame using the provided hex key. The seat slides on the stinger and is secured with a pin and clip. The whole process is very simple and can be done in less then 2 minutes.

iBert states the seat fits children from one to four years old and that estimate is right on for our household. Thing 1 is nearly four and fits well in the seat but its getting more difficult to get him in and out comfortably. Much to his dismay since he really LOVES to ride up front. The maximum weight is 38 lbs for the iBert safe-T-seat.

Another added benefit of having the iBert front mounted safe-T-seat is one parent can take out multiple children alone. With the use of a two seated trailer or rear seat any adult can ride with up to 3 children on one bike. Think of all the extra calories burned on that bike ride!

About MelissaJ

Melissa Jarotkiewicz, Editor
Melissa received a BS degree in Civil Engineering and is the proud stay at home mother of thing 1 and thing 2. Being the wife of an Air Force pilot means being the only parent for days, weeks and even months at a time. This chaotic and unpredictable life of a military mom calls for some serious retail therapy and Melissa puts her focus on baby gear and unfortunately for her husband the deal-a-day baby sites. Originally from the suburbs of Chicago, Melissa has lived in FL, OK, WA and just recently moved to Germany. She enjoys spending time with friends and family and watching college football in the fall. Go Irish!

Comments

We bought the I-bert last summer and had a GREAT time with our DS (18 months at the time). I echo all Melissa’s comments – easy install, usable on different bike sizes and frames, DS loved the ride. My only complaint was that the shoulder straps tended to slip off, too widely set for DS. I’ll be interested to see if we have the same issue this summer. Can’t wait to get on the road again.